A pregnant woman and her brother died on the spot, while her brother-in-law was severely damaged when a compressed gas cylinder exploded at their home in the central province of Quang Nam on Wednesday.

Initial information is that the accident happened around 7 a.m. when the family was making rice noodles for sale.

Nguyen Tan Nam, vice chairman of Tam Nghia Commune People’s Committee, was quoted as saying in Vietnam News Agency that the cylinder was apparently used to dry noodles and that its outlet valve broke down, creating big pressure inside the bottle, and leading to the explosion.

Witnesses said the blast sent the bodies of 25-year-old Kieu Thi My Loan, who was in the seventh week of pregnancy, and Kieu Duc Thanh, 16, tens of meters away from the site, while the cylinder’s remainders were found some 400 meters away.

Ngo Van Minh, 32, was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries. Minh is the husband of Loan's and Thanh's sister -- Kieu Thi Phuong.

28-year-old Phuong said the family of Loan's husband is poor while her youngest brother Thanh left school many years ago due to financial strait.

Police are investigating the accident’s cause.

In recent years many compressed gas cylinder blasts have been reported around Vietnam, where authorities have been criticized for failing to tighten their control over the quality of gas bottles.